'Rampage' Jackson on free agency: 'It's time for the sport to take care of me'

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson said he can start chatting with potential suitors in the next week or so, but wherever the former UFC champion ends up, he wants to feel a sense of appreciation.

The 34-year-old fighting vet recently announced his split where the UFC, where he recently suffered a decision loss to fellow light heavyweight Glover Teixeira for his third straight defeat.

The UFC is still the biggest game in town, and in the U.S., only Bellator MMA is close to a viable option. With a hefty pricetag, though, Jackson is unlikely to be affordable to most regional or upstart international promotions.

“I just want to be with an organization that’s going to treat me right,” he said on Thursday. “I’ve been fighting for 12 long years. I just feel like I’ve done a lot for this sport, and I just feel like it’s time for the sport to take care of me. I’ve been taking care of the sport.

“I’ve been putting a lot of butts in chairs. I’ve been trying to be entertaining, and I feel like I put my body on the line. I’ve been fighting injured for like the last six fights. I feel like I’ve put my body on the line for this sport, and I think it’s time for this sport to have my back a little bit.”

Jackson, a longtime PRIDE fighter, ultimately went 7-5 in the UFC. As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) recently reported, he made nearly $16 million during his time in the UFC, according to company president Dana White. But his constant clashes with UFC officials in recent years, as well as a high-profile arrest in 2008 for two felonies related to hit and run and evading police, turned the relationship sour. Jackson also launched an acting career that took away from his time in the cage, which drew some ire from White.

Jackson, though, said he’s still committed to the sport.

“Any organization out there, if they want to have my back and treat me like the way I feel I should be treated, I’ll go and hype up their shows,” he said. “That’s what I do. I get people interested.

“I don’t need to fight. My kids are secure, and my family is secure. I don’t need to fight, but I like to entertain people. I still feel like I have something to prove still.”

In addition to Teixeira, Jackson also suffered recent losses to Ryan Bader and Jon Jones. He said the Bader defeat, which came during an early-2012 show in Japan, was especially frustrating. Jackson, who lost every round of the fight, also said it contributed to his reasoning for splitting with the UFC.

“That’s why I have no respect for Ryan Bader. He sucks,” Jackson said. “I told the guy, ‘Come on.’ He knew I was injured. I didn’t make weight. I told him, ‘Listen, man. I ain’t going to beat around (the bush). Everybody knows I like to keep it real. Just make it an exciting fight.’

“I didn’t care about winning or losing the fight. I love Japan. I love the fans there. I wanted an exciting fight. But yeah, that’s what these guys are doing. That’s one reason I don’t want to be a part of the UFC. See, these guys in the UFC care more about winning and getting the W than putting on a show. But at the same time, I don’t blame them because if you lose two times in a row in the UFC, you can be out of there. They’re just protecting their careers.”

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